Giant swallowtails travel in between woodlands, open areas, and gardens, in search of nectar and host plants. They inhabit forest edges, citrus groves and fields. In Central Florida they are seen from February to November.
In the butterfly garden they prefer larger flowers that provide a nice platform for them to rest on giving their wings a brief rest while they drink nectar. They love pentas, Mexican sunflower and ixora among others. However, they can’t seem to resist Spanish needle flowers even though they have to hover all the while.
A giant swallowtail’s native host plants are in the
Rutaceae (citrus family)
The plants in this family that occur naturally in central Florida are:
Amyris elemifera (sea torchwood)
Ptelea trifoliate (hoptree)
Zanthoxylum americanum (prickly ash)
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis (Hercule’s club) ✤ 30 Seeds
Zanthoxylum fagara (lime prickly ash)